SPRINGFIELD – An explosive three-goal performance gave the No. 10 and top-seeded Missouri State men’s soccer team (17-1-0) its second-straight, and third overall, Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship, as the team raced to a 3-0 win over Evansville on Sunday afternoon.
“The guys did a fantastic job all season, but they were focused and prepared for today,” said head coach Jon Leamy. “The coaching staff did an unbelievable job getting the team ready to go for the tournament, the guys went out and took care of business, and mostly, they’re excited to play again.”
The match’s 3-0 final score broke a string of 15-straight title matches being decided by one goal or fewer. The last time a title match was decided by three goals was in 1997.
MSU came out of the gates strong, giving the Purple Aces all they could handle in the early minutes at Allison South Stadium. Javier Martin Gil was the first to strike for MSU, netting his first goal as a Bear in the 28th minute. The newcomer joins 14 other Bears to score goals this season. Martin Gil’s goal sparked the offensive fire for the Bears, and in the 38th minute, it was Jon Koka’s turn. The junior added to his wealth of five goals on the season, boosting the Bears to a 2-0 lead in the final minutes of the first half.
The second half was more of the same for the team on its way to its 15th-straight win. Early into the final 45 minutes of the title match, Jesus Barea netted his fifth goal of the year, boosting the Bears to a 3-0 lead.
MSU continued to control the narrative until the minutes expired off the clock, ultimately holding the advantage over Bradley (4-14-2) in shots (16-6) and shots on goal (8-3). The shutout win was the Bears 10th of the season and senior goalkeeper Michael Creek’s eighth of the year, giving the team a .582 goals against average percentage.
“It’s great to win back-to-back titles,” said Barea following the match. “It’s my second year here and we’ve won four trophies in the MVC, and now it’s time for the NCAA tournament.”
With the win, MSU is guaranteed a spot in the 48-team field of the NCAA tournament with their fate being decided on Monday at noon. The team will go into the tournament with the highest winning percentage in the country with a national-best mark of .944. Similarly, the Bears are the only team in NCAA men’s soccer with 17 wins.
“The guys have built an unbelievable resume and we’re hopeful we’re going to play at home,” finished Leamy. “They deserve to play at home.”
The NCAA men’s soccer tournament selection show will air at 12 p.m. CT on Monday, Nov. 15 solidifying an opponent, date and location for MSU’s first game of the post season.
